Thankful Thursday for My Scholastic Field Rep

I am a year and a half into my news job as a grade school librarian paraprofessional.   Along with my paid job, I have taken on the volunteer position of the book fair chairperson.  So, today's post will be about Scholastic book fairs and how thankful I am for my field rep:  Sharon Looby.

I am just under two weeks away from our next book fair and this is my third book fair.  Each fair get's easier, and I enjoy the decorations, planning and event.  I love my Scholastic Field Rep Sharon Looby and hope Scholastic knows what a gem she is!  She has a way of taking problems I view as obstacles and making them opportunities.  For example, we really need 3 registers in the morning before school.  This time is our busiest time for sales, but when the bell rings, I must send the students to class and they often promise to return and don't.  So, when Sharon said, we would only get two registers and I told her of my concern over lost sales, she gave me a solution.

Sharon told me to set up a third check out line for the new Scholastic eWallet students.  They can leave their books with a post it note that has their name, class room teacher and we can check those students out after the bell has rung and they have gone to class.  This will allow us to check out cash, check and credit card purchases before the bell. Now, if I can just get the parents to purchase the eWallet, I will be all set.  

Along, with her great ideas Sharon is my best volunteer on set up day.  Yes, she's paid by Scholastic for the day, but I'm not paying her.  She arrives for set up and is a wiz at merchandising the books and product to their best advantage.

She is a creative director for our décor.  This year's spring theme is dinosaurs.  I told Sharon about a vision I had to make a huge dinosaur leg coming out of the ceiling that was inspired by the photo above and found on Palentogy's Facebook page.  I have a very ugly pole in our library and I think it should be covered with something for our fair.  I then told Sharon, that I didn't know how to make my dinosaur leg on  zero budget.  She directed me to Carpetland USA for some carpet rolls and I began the process of paper mache to create bones.  At the top of the post you can see my dinosaur claws.  The final product has get to be revealed, but I am felling confident I will have a wonderful center piece to hide that ugly pole and create buzz.  Below you can see last book fairs center piece, created by some wonderful parents.  Stop by next Thursday to see how thankful I am for my parent volunteers!